Malcos

Wow damn guys your setups are so tidy! I've got some serious clearing up to do before I post a picture here. Because the room always looks messier when you take a photo.

The solo piano arrangement is very very stiff indeed, and there are parts where the left and right handed parts (which sound as if they were separately sequenced) clash, making it sound very unnatural indeed. The piano sound isn't a good one, despite the strings/pads underlying them. The beats make things sound even more stiff. The ending also cuts off abruptly. NO

The level of re-arrangement was very simplistic here. I'm not a guitar player, but to me the electric guitar could have sounded cleaner, it didn't fit with the acoustic guitar sound - the separation was made worse by the fact that the guitars were so widely panned. This mix didn't seem to hold itself together in other ways as well - the timing was very loose. I think I can tell what sound the remixer was going for, but I don't think it was engaging enough. NO

'My day needs a soundtrack' Let me know what ya think. Thanks for listening!

Piano did sound a bit overquantised, but I could make the same criticism of myself whenever I do piano stuff. Not much to say here really, good stuff! YES

Yeah there is a glitch at 0.18 Much better than previous subs, this has come a long way. YES

I thought that this mix worked in what it was trying to achieve. While it was minimalistic, I felt that with the use of pads that it did manage to fill out the soundscape adequately. All other aspects where above the bar for me. However, there was a note at 0.48-0.52 that sounded very, very off-key. Some may see this as minor, but it distracted from the rest of the mix, so I would definitely like to see it resubbed with that taken out, and it will be a yes from me. NO (resub plz)

I like the changes that have been made to this a lot. A very strong piece (once you turn the volume up), and although the links to the sources aren't as prominent as they could be, they are there - even though I do see the points that the other judges make. I do feel that this is somewhat more engaging than the last version, which was my main issue last time. However, this does need some compression, this could easily be at least 6db louder without losing any audible dynamic range. YES (On the condition that this be made louder)

Chunli: Ziyi Zhang/Lucy Lui/Kelly Hu/Devon Aoki? Cammy: Jessica Biel/Summer Glau/Rebecca Romijn Could throw some other cameos in there too: Ryu: Kane Kosugi Dudley: Brian J.White/Michael Jai White Alex: Triple X (too big?)/some other wrestler Vega: Christian Bale (too old?/big?) Q: Anyone could do this really, just heavy breathe

While there are no production issues per se, this is quite a repetitive mix in many ways. I wouldn't go as far to call it cookie cutter, but this needs a lot more personality injected into it. I'll just end up reiterating what has already been said, but this needs a lot more variation and original melodic content. There are also some questionable notes in the bassline. NO

This is a difficult one for me. As most of the other judges have picked out, this song peaks and then just ebbs away until it's done. The section at 1.24 - 1.48. sounded beautiful. Apart from that section, this mix needs some work in terms of getting that rich ambient sound that I think it was going for, as those sections didn't hold my attention as much. The source had lots of other parts to it, and I admire the remixer for taking a different direction to what the source could have dictated, however, I don't think that this is past the bar in it's present state. NO

This is great news! Congratulations Jill!

I'll do my little speech that I do again every time we get an Icecap sub. This is a very popular stage to remix, and so the bar is quite high indeed. The strings here are extremely lush, unfortunately the drums don't cut through them as nicely as they could have, and so some impact is lost. However we get a groove section later on, which due to the earlier nature of the mix, sounded empty and sparse - more melodic elements need to be added to that part to keep the interest level high. For me the drums could have been even more 'in-your-face'. This needs some more work, but this is the closest I've come to yessing an Icecap sub in a long time. NO(Resub?)

That's the thing. Is there any reason to post this when there isn't really any difference between this and the project version? I don't believe that there is any benefit. NO Edit: Liontamer was right in correcting me here, there is no reason for this not to be posted. I therefore amend my vote. YES

Very interesting re-arrangement of the prelude theme. Unfortunately the other theme wasn't re-arranged as much. Some other issues here as well, one is the repetitive nature of the mix, in that it could have really done with a breakdown in the middle of the song to change it up. The section that starts at 2.16 really sounds off - it's simply a section from earlier on with another, louder melody placed on top of the existing one, which doesn't sound good at all. This needs some more work. NO

The dynamics here as very good indeed, and it is very pleasant to listen to. There is a slight issue with some of the instruments having a longer attack which throws the rhythm off slightly, but I don't feel that it affects the mix so much that it shouldn't pass. YES

Ok kool, I was thinking that I hadn't heard anything about this for a while!

The source melody has been quite closely stuck to here, as the remixer has pointed out. However, because of that, more originality has to come from other elements of the mix, and there are not many here, due to the mix being so sparse. The minimalism is taken to extremes in certain places, ie sections 1.41 - 2.03 has hats and piano and not much else, and silent sections such as 2.16 - 2.18 make the listener feel as though the song might have already finished. Minimalism does work, but this mix doesn't have a groove, has very thin textures, plodding drumbeat, and lack of dynamic arrangement. NO

As I have said many times before, an Icecap submission to OC comes against some very stiff competition indeed, and so the bar for an Icecap sub is going to be high. This has some repetitive beats, and the interpretation isn't really as original as it could have been. This is very cookie cutter with not much else added. Not bad for a first submission but needs a lot more. NO

Good production and lots of energy here. Needs a parental guidance due to explicit lyrics, perhaps DJP could put a little badge next to this. There are some issues with this mix. The rimshots at 1.06, and particularly at 1.45 (they even seemed to rise in volume before that point!) are much too loud and sound like some repetitive clack-clack sound. Even though they are ghosted rhythmically, it really takes away from the effectiveness of the rest of the beat. Imo they should have been kept low in the beat, indeed I think it sounds better when they are not there. The ending was much too abrupt. I would like to pass this, but the rimshot issue was a big enough one that makes me vote NO Please resubmit!

One of the biggest issues here is the very muddy low end. The kick drum clashes with the bass line, particularly noticeable at 1.34 and 2.24-2.26. It makes the song sound much less definied. Some questionable notes in the melody at 1.18-1.21 in relation to the chord progression. 2.42-2.45 also has notes that seem a little off. I try not to make stylistic suggestions, but I don't think that the 808 kick suits the style of this mix. Needs some more work. Don't forget you can use the WIP forums for peer feedback as well. NO

Listening to this again, yes the level of rearrangement is just on the line for me, it could have definitely done with some changes in the lyrics to add more of a personal edge to it. However, the main issue I identified earlier (what a quick resub!) has definitely been resolved. I do think the vocals could be just a touch louder overall, but the performance overall sounds a lot more polished now and the vocals blend more with the instruments instead of just sitting raw on top as it did before. The addition of harmonies also makes things sound smooth. YES

The naked strings in the intro really exposed the not-so-good sample quality. Around 2.15 the track starts to get interesting as more textures are added, but before that the sparseness of the instrumentation and the fact that it stayed so close to the original arrangement meant that it wasn't that interesting to listen to. At 2.53 (and this is a minor point) the reverb seemed to just die unnaturally, too soon. The arrangement improved as the mix went on, parts from 3.45 sounded good. The ending was unexpected, it just seemed to prematurely end. Needs some more work. NO

Try www.modernbeats.com, I'm gonna be picking up a few drum sets from there soon. Big sounds!

I agree that this is too quiet, and needs the volume levels to be tweaked. It is dynamic, but the quieter sections are too quiet. This needs just a little more tweaking, you definitely have what it takes! NO (Please resub)